Apparatus for transferring mail



1,.FORSLUND.

APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING MA|L.'

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1920.

1 ,886,5 6 Patented Aug. 9, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l- INVENTOR JOHN F'ORSLUND.

BY @w w ATTORN EY L FORSLUND.

APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING MAIL.

APPLICATION FILED..IULY 24, 1920.

Patented Aug. 9, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR WQMN F'G'RSLUWQ ATTORNEY J. FORSLUND.

APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING MAIL- APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1920.

1,386,856. at nted Aug- 9, 1921.

30 3 SHEETS-SH ET 3- INVENTOR FOMN FQRSLUMD ATTORNEY UNHTE STS FFEQE.

JOHN FOESLUND, 0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING MAIL.

-Application filed July 24, 1920.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN Fonsnnun, a citizenof the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King andState of Washington, have invented a new and useful Apparatus forTransferring lllail, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for transferring mail,particularly to and from moving railway trains; and the objects of myimprovements are to provide within mail car an arm carrying anelectro-magnet with means for extending said arm in and out of the car,the carrying of a receptacle for the mail by the magnet, thetransference oi. said receptacle to a rack located adjacent the trackand car, and the picking up by the magnet of a similar receptacle fromsaid rack and its transference to the interior of the car.

I attain these objects by the apparatus illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the apparatusas it would appear from the outside of the car door when the car ispassing a station, the magnet installed on the car carrying a mail boxto deposit on the rack, and a mail box on the rack ready to be picked upby said magnet.

Fig. 2 is a sectional end elevation of a car and the rack, showing theapparatus with arm extended and in position to deposit a mail box on therack.

Fig. 3 is a perspective and plan of a stop for the boxes, said stopslidably associated with a magnet in the rack.

Fig. 4: is a perspective of one of the mail boxes.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a mail box, showing acontainer for the mail to be located within the casing; also, a shockabsorber within the container.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the deposit and pick-up rack, with thest0p-slide (Fig. 3) in position.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the arm and other portions of the apparatus aslocated within a car, when the arm is not in extended position, thedotted portion indicating the location of said arm when it is turned tothe other side of the car.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section of a sliding support for the arm, drawnon the line 8-8 0t Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a cross-section drawn on the line Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Aug. 9, 1921.

Serial No. 398,659.

9-9 of Fig. 7, as exhibited when the sliding support for the rear end ofthe arm is re moved.

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal section drawn on the line 10-1O of Fig. 7.

Fig. 11 illustrates one of a pair of brackets to be attached above andadjacent the doors of the car, and adapted to carry tour tubularsupports for mechanism within the car.

That portion of the apparatus located in the car comprises themagnet-carrying arm 1, shown in plan in Fig. 7 and further illustratedin Figs. 1, 2 and 10, the outer end terminating in the tip 2, the innerend having bolted thereto, or fastened in any other suitable manner, thehollow member 8 shown in crosssection in Fig. 9 and in longitudinalsection, as attached to the arm, in Fig. 10. This member is circular inform at its base, and is provided with a circumterentially reducedshoulder forming section 4, Fig. 9. Mounted on this member, and fittinginto said section, is the sliding support designated as 5, Fig. 8. Thebody of this support is circular in cross-section, carrying an integralshaft on which are mounted two grooved wheels 16, and also having fourlaterally projecting lugs or portions 6, bored to receive the rods 7.These rods, and the rods 8, Fig. 7, extend across the interior of thecar and above and adjacent to each door, the ends of the rods beingmounted in a pair of brackets 9, one of which is shown in detail in Fig.11. Pivotally connected with the arm is the lever 10, Fig. 10, thefunction of which will be presently described. Attached to the arm isthe electro-magnet 1]., the electrical connections, 12, of which extendthrough the arm and up through the hollow member as shown in Fig. 10.The arm and its connections as thus assembled are slidably mounted onthe two rods 7, as shown in Fig. 7 These rods are preferably tubular inconstruction so as to combine lightness with strength and topermit theuse of material having a diameter sufliciently large to afford adequatesupport and minimize any lateral movement in the sliding support. Itwill be noted that the construction of the inner end of the arm with itscircumferentially reduced shoulder-forming section, and the circularbody of the sliding support fitting thereon, permit the arm to beturned, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 7, so as to face eitherdoor. On two sides of the body of the sliding support a recess isprovided, 13, in Figs. 8 and 10, into which the end of the lever 10 isinserted as a means for retaining the arm in its proper position infront of either door of the car. The two outer rods 8, as shown in Fig.7, each carries a spiral spring 14. Attached to one end of each springis the section 15 having two bores or openings and slidably engaged withthe rods 7 and 8, the sections 15 contacting with the sliding support 5.Extending from said support androtatably mounted thereon are two groovedwheels 16, or, if deemed desirable, a single wheel with a double groovemay be used. 17 and 18 in Fig. 7 illustrate in a disconnected way twolevers which in the apparatus are operatively associated with the wheels16. In Fig. 2these levers are shown as mounted in the car, the leverdenoted as 17 being in operative position, and

the lever 18 located in the top of the car as it is when not in use.These levers are man ually operated, their functions being to ex tendthearm carrying the magnet, and anything carried by the magnet, to aposition outside of the car. The levers are pivotally connected withbrackets 19 attached to the upper portion of the car substantially asshown in Fig. 2. lVhen the levers are not in use they rest in the top ofthe car, their free ends being supported by the spring brackets 20. InFig. 2, 18 illustrates the position of said lever when not in operativeposition, and the dotted line the location of the other lever when notin use. When it is desired to extend the arm from the car door as shownin Fig. 2, lever 17 is brought down by the operator, the lever'riding inone of the grooved wheels 16 and carrying forward the slidable support5, this support in turn carrying forward the member 15 locatedadjacent'the wheels 16 as shown in Fig. 7 and extending the spring 14 asshown in F 2. Located on the door casings as shown in Fig. 2, andoppositely disposed, is a pair of catches to retain the free end of alever when the arm is extended from either side of the car,-denot ed by21. The full line showing of lever 17, Fig; 2 illustrates the positionof a said lever as retained by a catch when the arm andconnections areextended from the car in operative position. 22, Fig. 4, designates acasing for a. box primarily'designed to contain maiL'although it canbeused for other articles. It is made of metal of a kind which issubject to magnetic'attraction, the two sections on its upper surface,designated by 23, however, are made of brass. Extend.- ing on each sideof the box, completely across one end and partly across the other end,and.

parallel therewith, are two oppositely located strengthening andfastening rods 24, held to the box by metallic bands 25, said rods beingrotatable therein. At 26 the ends of the rods are looped'to afford meansfor applying a padlock. In Fig. 5 is shown a longitudinal sectional viewof the mail box proper 27. This is a metallic drawer adapted to slidablyengage with the casing 22, and having within itfla shock-resistingmedium consisting of a'metallic container of resilient material,preferably metal, the ends bent as shown at 28 with a View to absorbingshocks incident to the use ofthe box; \Vith suitable electric energyapplied to the magnet through thewires 12, Fig. 2, the mail box 22 heldby magnetic attraction to the magnet 11, and the arm extended by a thelever v17, said lever being held in position by the catch 21 as shown inFig. 2, that part of the apparatus working from and within the railwaycar is in operative position. templates that the interior portion of amail car designed as its forwardend will always be so maintained whentraveling in any direction, which, of course, would necessitate thatthe'car be turned around for its return trip, the mechanism permitting.the arm tobe' extended from either side of the car. It may be desirableto so equip the car that the arm may be extended from either side and bein operative position with the other mechanism of the completeapparatus, whether the car is traveling backward or forward, in whichevent two additional The. construction as shown conlevers identical inconstruction wit-i117 [and 18, together with a duplicate shaft .and

wheels 16 mounted on said shaft, will be installed and oppositelylocated on and ad-' j acent the other rod 7, Fig. 7.. ad our levers forextending the arm will then be provided, and the device will beadaptable to any position in which the car maybe running on the track. Vr 7 vFig. 1 showslinelevationalongside the car, a rack designed toreceive a mail box from an incoming car and to deliver, or en'- able themagnet on the extended arm from said car to pick up a similar box ofoutgoing mail after the first box has been deposited on the rack. InFig. 1 the box 22 isina position "for delivery to the rack, and the box29 on the rack is in a position ready to be picked up. Fig, 6 is a planviewlof said rack. The rack, located adjacent the track, is providedwith suitablei supports In Fig. 6,30 represents sections of the frameiwork of the rack, 31 a pair of rails comprising the bottom of the rack,and onwhich the mail boxes are adapted to slide, and 32 a pair of siderails. 'These rails mustbe made of material possessing no aflinity for amagnet, and while they can be made of brass, wood is the preferredmaterial. As indicated in the plan view, and better illustrated in Fig.2, the bottom rails are turned down at their ends, and the side railsturned outwardly at the ends, to facilitate the reception or removal ofa mail box. 33 represents an electro-magnet equipped with properelectrical connections, and located within the body of the rack, itssmooth upper surface being on a plane with the upper surfaces of therails31. The primary function of this magnet is to provide magneticmeans for limiting the movement of a mail box after being deposited ontherack, the same being accomplished through the followinginstrumentalities. 34 in Fig. 1, represents an electric switch pivotallyconnected at the points 35, and pivotally mounted to the rack at thepoints .36, the dotted lines adjacent said last named points indicatingmovement of the switch. The frame of said switch is of materialunattractive to a magnet. 37 represents sections of copper, withelectrical connections, fixedly attached to the rack. 38 is a sectionofcopper fixedly attached to the lower portion of the switch. Thesprings 39 attached to the switch and either side of the rack are forthe purpose of automatically releasing the switch. The switch as shownin Fig. 1 is open, the'sections 37, which are slotted, being locateddirectly over the cut-out portions 40 of the copper section 38. When aforward movement is applied at either of the points 34, the section 38is raised and enters the slotted portion of the piece 37, therebyclosing the switch and establishing electrical connection with themagnet. It is obvious that when either of the portions of the switch 34is released, the springs 39 will open the switch. Fig. 3 illustrates inperspective what I term a stop-slide for the mail boxes, the same beingdenoted as 41. It is of metal having attraction for a magnet, and forgiving it strength and greater utility for the purpose intended thebottom is reinforced or made of heavier material than the sides. In Fig.1 this stop slide 41 is shown in operative position within the rack,resting about half its length on the magnet and half on the bottom railsof the rack. In Fig. 6, thisstop-slide is also shown. 42, in Fig. 6, isa metallic piece substantially rectangular in form, resting in slots andextending between the side rails 32 and directly over the stop-slide'41.Its function is to limit the movement of the stop-slide along the rackto the upstanding end portions of the slide, in either direction. 43Fig. 1, illustrates a pair of tripping members located on the side ofthe rack next to the car, the use of which will be explained shortly.These are pivotally mounted to the rack, swing freely, and of suchweight and form as to normally occupy. the position shown in Fig. 1. Onthe side of the rack and adjacent each. side of these tripping membersbolts, or other suitablestops, can be provided if desired, which limitthe forward or rearward movement of these trips. A bolt, serving as oneof these stops, is denoted by 44, in Fig. 2. With that part'of theapparatus operating from the car and in the position heretoforedescribed and shown in Fig. 1, with the car moving toward the rack,the'mail box 22suspended from the arm and magnet on the car enters therack, the tip of the. arm 2, Fig. 2, closes the switch on the rack byimparting a forward movement to 34 of th switch, Fig. 1there beingenough movement to the part 34 to allow the tip to pass over it. At theinstant the switch is closed electrical energy is applied to the magnetin the rack, the stop-slide 41 is held to the magnet by attraction andit acts as a buffer limiting the movement of the mail box 22 which isthen deposited on. the rack from the moving train, the movement andmomentum of the train, together with the attraction of the magnet on therack being sufficient to release said box from the arm and magnet on themoving car. Said magnet being free of the box 22, then picks up the box29. This box, provided with end portions of brass on its upper surfaceallows the magnet on the car to slide over and retain the box along itsmedial portion The trip 43, located as it is with reference to the catch21, Fig. 2, on the car, then trips said catch, releases the lever 17 andthe tension on the spring 14, and the arm and magnet carrying the box 29just picked up from the rack are automatically taken into the car. Itwill be noted from the description and the drawings that the mechanismcan be actuated in either direction that a car may be traveling.Obviously changes in and modifications of the construction described maybe made without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificingits advantages, hence I ask that I be not confined to the specificstructure set forth.

I claim:

1. In combination with a moving railway car and a container havingaffinity for a magnet extending therefrom, a rack located adjacent thecar, said rack carrying a buffer made of material attractive to'a magnetand controlled by a magnet, against which said container is adapted toimpinge and whereby the longitudinal movement of the container islimited after being deposited on the rack from the car, and means on therack for limiting the lateral movement of the container and said buffer.

2. In combination with a moving railway car and a container havingaffinity for a magnet extending therefrom, a rack located 1 adjacent thecar, carrying'a stop-slide made of material attractiveto a magnet, saidstopslide having abase substantially rectangular in form with oppositelydisposed ends substantially rectangular in form extending-upwardly andat, right angles to the base, a barrier located within the rack andbetween the ends of the stop-slide and magnetic means within the rack,whereby the longitudinal movements ofthe stop-slider and the containerare limited, when the container is thrust against the stop-slide by themoving car, means on the rack to limit the lateral movement of thecriedby themagnet, a rack located adjacent said car adapted to receivethe'receptacle from said member, and also-to carry a similar receptacleto be picked up'by said member, an electro-magnet located in the lack, aswitch therefor controlled by said member,

'operatively associated with said second mag:

net meansfor limiting the travel of the re-V ceptacle deposited on therack, and means located on the rack and said car, in-cooperatlon withsaid-member, for returningthe member with a-receptacle to the interiorof the car. a j

In an apparatus of the-class describe'd, I

in combination with a railway car and a station located adjacentthereto, a member, the outer portion ofwhichfterminates' in a tip, saidmember carryingadjacent the tip an electro-magnet, the other end havinga base slidably mountedfon a pluralityof supports located transverselyof the car, means for reversing said member whereby the tip will faceeither-side of the car, means, including a plurality of leverscoactingfwith said base, whereby 'said'member and magnet may be extendedfrom a side'door ofthe car,

means associated-with each lever for maintammg" said member and magnetin 6X-;

tended positionfand means located onthe i car and rsaid station wherebymovement of the car will trip the-member when extended i and cause it tobe withdrawn within "the car.

' JOl-lN VFOQRSLUND;

